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3. Red Flags for Physicians

Throughout the course of several investigations, certain consistencies have been observed and can serve as “red flags” for medical providers to alert them that the patient may not have a legitimate pain issue but are instead seeking narcotics for illegitimate reasons. It should be noted however, that any one of these “red flags” by itself does not necessarily mean that the patient is not legitimate. Some of the “red flags” are:

The patient is from out of state

The patient requests a specific drug

The patient states that an alternative drug does not work

The patient states that their previous physician closed their practice